M10M & Blown Highlights

[Gobert]

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10 hours ago, Ken Abrahams said:

Corrections for seemingly infinite depth of dark - shadow detail in M10M files and risk of losing highlight detail.

In Lightroom prior to transitioning to PS I reduce highlight slider to almost - 100 and bring up the darks and shadow slider a touch. The reduced highlight adjustment can then be corrected by an auto curves in PS. Also reduce clarity and dehaze sliders to the left for effect and that seems to clear some of the harsher contrasts and dark areas. I usually do those latter adjustments in Photoshop by using camera raw after preliminary adjustments in PS. 

Interesting. Will try after being returned from Dordogne.

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[augustwest100]

Just thought I would report back on this…

I have tried underexposing, which goes against every bone in my body from my days with film. I have had no problem underexposing by up to 3 stops (!) and recovering detail in post.  This works much better than trying to nail exposure and being left with a blown highlight. Of course you still can’t expect a shot into the sun with something dark in the foreground to have enough dynamic range, but I would say that it is safe to underexpose up to 2 stops, maybe even more. I just need to retrain my brain.

[Jeff S]

It helps to have a background exposing slides.

Jeff

[Ken Abrahams]

I have accidentally compensated exposure by - 3 stops. So dark however there some way to extract an okay image from it but not great. I haven't used an orange filter on the M10M for 18 months as it will render darker more contrasty raw images that are produced in Adobe software. As one imports images from M10M into Lightroom the initial image looks okay however after a few seconds the profiles (not mine) for the DNG are applied and everything goes dark, I mean really dark. I can relate to the M9M raw files, their light and flat mid tonal qualities and the subsequent processing required to increase darks and contrasts however the M10M is opposite to this standard. One must have two kinds of workflows when switching between cameras.

Many images that I take with the M10M which include sky (not directed towards sun) often show underexposed in the live view histogram (and in Lightroom) so in some cases I am applying +1/3 to +2/3 exposure compensation before clipping appears, to correctly expose images. I wouldn't necessarily maintain a flat rule to underexpose all images on the M10M. I have my clipping set to 245 (out of 255) so that when a small degree of clipping appears, I know I am in the ball park for a good exposure for such scenes. Other scenes where the sky  or background is bright, one must expose for the highlights and implement -7 or more exposure compensation, there is no other way unless you intend to replace the sky in PS. 

I have to admit that I really enjoy going back to the M9M for a while however the M10M is still my go to camera even with its darkening, blacker exposures. In one way both the M9M and M10M have instigated good leaning curves (and histograms) in my post processing skills and therefore achieving something towards what I want with black and white photography.      

[augustwest100]

8 hours ago, Ken Abrahams said:

I have accidentally compensated exposure by - 3 stops. So dark however there some way to extract an okay image from it but not great. I haven't used an orange filter on the M10M for 18 months as it will render darker more contrasty raw images that are produced in Adobe software. As one imports images from M10M into Lightroom the initial image looks okay however after a few seconds the profiles (not mine) for the DNG are applied and everything goes dark, I mean really dark. I can relate to the M9M raw files, their light and flat mid tonal qualities and the subsequent processing required to increase darks and contrasts however the M10M is opposite to this standard. One must have two kinds of workflows when switching between cameras.

Many images that I take with the M10M which include sky (not directed towards sun) often show underexposed in the live view histogram (and in Lightroom) so in some cases I am applying +1/3 to +2/3 exposure compensation before clipping appears, to correctly expose images. I wouldn't necessarily maintain a flat rule to underexpose all images on the M10M. I have my clipping set to 245 (out of 255) so that when a small degree of clipping appears, I know I am in the ball park for a good exposure for such scenes. Other scenes where the sky  or background is bright, one must expose for the highlights and implement -7 or more exposure compensation, there is no other way unless you intend to replace the sky in PS. 

I have to admit that I really enjoy going back to the M9M for a while however the M10M is still my go to camera even with its darkening, blacker exposures. In one way both the M9M and M10M have instigated good leaning curves (and histograms) in my post processing skills and therefore achieving something towards what I want with black and white photography.      

This is very helpful. Jumping between the M10M and the SL2S can be a little tricky. Sometimes I am looking for clipping while using the M10M’s optical viewfinder! I found the same thing with the Orange filter. The darks are REALLY dark in Lightroom.

Do you use a visoflex to monitor the clipping or the LCD on the M10M? 

[Ken Abrahams]

Sometimes I play the image to see the histogram and or clipping or if I’m checking a scene prior to shooting in live view via lcd. Only if I have time to assess an exposure properly otherwise I’m adjusting exp compensation to the left because I know it will be clipping. I like the visoflex but don’t often use it. 
 

Ken 

[a.noctilux]

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13 hours ago, augustwest100 said:

Just thought I would report back on this…

I have tried underexposing, which goes against every bone in my body from my days with film. I have had no problem underexposing by up to 3 stops (!) and recovering detail in post.  This works much better than trying to nail exposure and being left with a blown highlight. Of course you still can’t expect a shot into the sun with something dark in the foreground to have enough dynamic range, but I would say that it is safe to underexpose up to 2 stops, maybe even more. I just need to retrain my brain.

...touching here miracle (?) of digital image recording.

As slide user for so long, I need not learn too long to go 'underexposed' with Monochrom and the useful another 'miracle' of colored filters.